Rebirth
by nightsurreptitious
Summary: Regulus Black was dead, except not quite.


Title: Rebirth

Prompt: [Emotion] Heartbreak

[Emotion] Fear

School: Hogwarts, Year Three

Words: 2551

Regulus Black awoke with a sore, pained throat, feeling as if he was immensely hungry for something like he'd never been before. He struggled to get himself to his feet, barely even registering the darkness of the room he was currently residing in (dimly, at the back of his head, Regulus remembered the bitter taste of the poison he drowned himself in, memories of every bad experience flashing through his mind, though it wasn't the most painful experience he had to endure), when the front door to his room snapped open and a very tall, blond-haired and clearly very French looking man entered flashing him a far too confident, all too friendly smile.

He looked rather drugged, as if something was immensely wrong with him — and Regulus, Regulus who'd always taken pride in his self restraint, jumped at the man, at his neck, before he could even register what he was doing and drank off him. It was like he didn't even have control over his body, as if he was under the Imperius curse. Regulus knew the effects of the curse far too well, knew it enough to know that he was under no curse. This was something else altogether. Something otherworldly.

He wished to stop, told himself this wasn't what he did, acting like such a crude animal with no respect for the social norms and all the culture he'd been raised to follow (he wasn't Sirius whom he'd once witnessed practically naked, shaming their entire house and everything they stood for with his actions), but as hard as he tried, he couldn't. There was a sudden, screeching scream of heard in the room. Finally, as if some switch had been turned off, Regulus threw himself off the man, blood flowing down his face.

The man was unconscious from the loss of a blood and Regulus' heart sank deeply in his chest as he finally registered what exactly he had done. He gulped hard, his face slowly paling in the pure horror at the sight in front of him and he shivered, feeling the urge to drink again coming to him with such force. What in the world was happening to him? People didn't just wake up after a near death experience with newly found thirst for a blood, unless, of course — the front door flashed open again and a very familiar figure emerged from the darkness, a cruel little smile playing on her lips.

Zoè Zabini stood by the door in a rather flashy looking, dark-green gown, looking as if she'd just stepped out of a royal ball. "Oh my, little prince is awake, and he is angry. What shall we do, I wonder?" She spoke to the little snake wrapped around her neck like a pretty accessory. "How are you feeling, pet?"

Regulus had known what exactly Zoè Zabini was for a very long time, of course. It was why exactly their family wished Narcissa to break her friendship with him, but his loyal and all too good-hearted cousin never even considered it. It was out of the question for her. She'd always been far too good for this wicked and cruel world, but that wasn't important here right now. What was important was the fact that he now apparently fed on the people, on their blood and it was all the dark-haired vampire's fault.

Regulus Black glared at her, his eyes narrowing with a fierce anger. "What have you done, Zoè?"

Zoè rolled her eyes dramatically at his tone. "Don't be such a child. I saved your life. You were dying." Her face shifted, a pointed line crossing her mouth. "Now, come drag Monsieur Pierre here, will you? He is far too useful to die right now. I do like his pretty face."

Before he could even voice out his protest, Zoè was gone from the room in a flash — and in that moment, Regulus remembered that vampires possessed an immense super speed as well as a strength. Grunting under his throat in frustration, Regulus wiped the blood off his face and threw the man over his shoulders, running after Zoè, almost stumbling on his way to the living room. "Zoè!" He yelled, gently throwing the unconscious man to the couch, feeling very much like he'd just stumbled into a very bizarre dream.

Zoè looked at him as if she would like nothing more than to stab him right now, but was restraining herself from doing so. "You are simply way too emotional for a vampire. Please stop that, will you? It's distressing me."

Regulus was quickly reminded of his mother, his mother's hand on his shoulder, whispering and whispering, emotions are a weakness you cannot afford to have, Regulus, and you are not weak, are you? Regulus shook his head off the memory and further glared, only then noticing his blond cousin sitting on the edge of the sofa with a guilt stricken expression on her face. "So, this is your fault." It wasn't a question or even an accusation. It was a simple, undeniable fact. It was her fault he was now a creature of the night, would always be her fault for decades until some merciful soul would decide to end his misery. He wanted to die. He'd told Kreacher so, which he apparently ignored and dragged his cousin into saving his miserable existence.

Regulus grunted in frustration. There really was no respect for anyone's choice in this house, was there? No wonder Sirius left in such a hurry.

"You were dying." Narcissa explained with a headstrong, stubborn expression on her face. "I couldn't let you die. You are the only family I have left." Of course, Sirius and Andromeda didn't count in her stubborn, brainwashed head. Why would they? To her, they were as good as dead for the atrocity they've decided to commit. It left a bad taste in his mouth, that they would treat their family worse than they would a common street dog. They were family, always and forever, they'd promised, but Regulus was also far too aware a promise meant absolutely nothing in this world.

Regulus regarded her with a far too casual, indifferent expression on his face. "How truly selfish of you, Cissa."

Narcissa forced herself to her feet. "What was I supposed to do? Kreacher brought you to Malfoy Manor all bloody and unconscious! It almost gave me a heart attack."

"I — wanted — to die. Kreacher should have left me there in the cave to die as I have instructed him to, not go against my wishes and involve you in it. You are far too soft for your own good." You are way too much like our father for your own good, Sirius' words rang through his head.

"What were you even doing there?" Narcissa asked, all too curious, asking questions that weren't meant to be asked.

Regulus turned away from her, knowing too well he couldn't trust her with the information. Sooner or later, she would tell her tall, blond-haired husband and that was something he definitely didn't want Lucius to know. Lucius Malfoy may have sneaked his way into his cousin's heart and into their family, but he wasn't to be trusted with anything. "That's none of your business."

"We used to tell each other everything. Now, I look at you and I barely recognize the little boy I used to know."

In the background, Zoè yawned in boredom as she cast a little healing spell on the frenchman's neck. "You people make me glad my whole family is dead. This is way too emotional for me," She wistfully stared at the distance for a moment, "I need a drink. Do either of you happen to have a firewhiskey on you? That's not something normal people do? No? Fine, then." She turned to her left and yelled out, stalking away. "Joshua! Where is my firewhiskey?"

After she was gone, Regulus sighed tiredly, gazing at his cousin regretfully. "Maybe you didn't know me at all — and just like everyone else, saw only what you wanted to see." Just like his brother, who'd only cared enough to vilify him along with the rest of their dysfunctional family when he would have really seen who he really was, what he really believed in if only he cared enough to look, but Regulus had stopped expecting anything from his brother a long time ago. There was only one person his brother ever cared about and that person wasn't him.

"Regulus, you know that's not true. I've always known you the best."

Regulus shook his head. "You know nothing." He looked at her regretfully, "You only saw what I wanted you to see, and you didn't care enough to look further, past the walls I've put."

Narcissa took a step closer, looking at him somberly. "Regulus, please —," But he was already gone, breathing the summer air as he opened the front doors of the house. He couldn't stand to be around here a second longer. There was only one place he could go to right now, and he didn't think he was really going to be too happy to see him, especially in such a state.

* * *

Severus Snape opened the door of his small, humble house to find the figure of his former friend standing there, his expression more emotional than he'd ever seen him. Regulus Black didn't like showing human emotions. He considered it to be a weakness, which was how Severus figured out that there was definitely something really wrong going on here. "I didn't know where else to go." Regulus' voice was a little rough on the edge, his usually quite posh accent nowhere to be heard. "I — something happened to me. I —," His face shifted, making him look almost unrecognizable and Regulus turned away almost as if in a shame, but it was enough for Severus to understand exactly what was going on here. "I wanted to die, Severus." Tears spilled down his face as he fell against his arms, losing consciousness right there in front of him.

Breathing hard, Severus dragged him inside, softly laying his friend down on the couch. Panting, because despite his slim looking figure, Regulus was a very heavy boy, much more than Severus' frail little body could handle, Severus watched with a panicked feeling in his chest as he watched his friend's chest remain worryingly still, not a sound coming out. Could it be he was dead? Severus wondered, not quite sure how he felt about losing one of the few friends he'd have left. Regulus made a sudden, grunting noise in his sleep as he somehow turned over the couch, which made Severus' eyebrows furrow in a deep confusion. What was going on here? With an odd sense of curiosity, Severus lightly touched his chest, only to be met with an eternal silence. No beating, almost as if he was dead. He touched his forehead, his skin cold as a corpse. It was then a sudden realization dawned on him. His friend was dead, just not in the way he thought it to be originally. Shaking uncontrollably over what had happened to his friend, Severus pulled out his wand from the pockets of his robes, his chest sinking with a heartbreak. He was only eighteen, now he shall be forever be stuck with a life that wasn't quite a life, cursed with a knowledge his life shall forever be like this. Trapped in an eternal darkness that was now his life.

* * *

Regulus awoke with a start with an odd sense of deja vu. He sat upright on the leather couch in the darkness of the familiar house he'd gotten acquainted with a long time ago back when he was still — his chest tightened at the word — human, all the memories of yesterday flashing in his mind. He massaged the front of his head as a sudden pain settled in his head and he breathed heavily, looking through the room just in the time to see Severus entering the room, looking quite as if he was the one who'd died recently and came back not quite alive, but not quite dead either. At the sight of him awake, Severus dropped the teacup he was holding in his hands and immediately rushed to his side, looking rather more pale than usual.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked, looking unusually worried.

Regulus chuckled drily in the reply, his throat aching a little. "I am alright, Severus." He glanced at Severus with a pointed eyebrow, giving him a look. "But look at you, Severus. You look as if you've died. It's quite not the right look on you, my friend, if I am being honest."

Severus quickly swatted him on his head, "Stop being such an ass." He snapped. "I was very worried for you. Have you any idea what ran through my head last night because of you? Honestly, I should kill you for this."

Regulus made a teasing noise in the back of his throat. "But you can't kill me, Severus, for I am already dead."

Severus sighed deeply, collapsing on the floor in front of him. "What are we going to do, Regulus?"

"Well, just like I had with everything else in my life, I am going to accept this is happening and start adjusting. I would advise you to do the same, Severus."

Severus shifted on his seat, clearly anxious. "There's something I need to tell you." Regulus looked at his friend curiously. "I — I've joined the Order."

Blinking his eyes, Regulus sighed. "Please don't tell me that means I would have to play nice with my brother and his group of friends, because if so, you might as well stake me right now."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Why are you always so dramatic?"

"Why are you always so depressing?" Regulus countered back with a smirk. "But honestly, if I have to do that just because you cannot get over one girl, I will personally murder you and then myself, I swear."

"You don't have to worry. If that happens, I will do it myself. You won't even have to participate."

Regulus looked at him once, considering. "I don't know what sort of moment this is, but please don't tell me we have to hug right now. I absolutely despise hugs. I think they are foul and loathsome."

"How did you even live with Sirius Black all those years?" Severus asked.

"I used to hex him every time he tried to hug me. After fifty-ninth attempt, he finally got it that I didn't like hugs. One would think he would get it after the third time, honestly."

"I am glad you are here, Regulus."

"Honestly? I don't think I really wanted to die earlier. I think I just somehow convinced myself I did." he breathed, then glanced at Severus again. "What now?"

"Do you fancy a trip to Hogwarts?"


End file.
